The New Students: Blackstar's New Challenger!
by Hollow-Point-Pen
Summary: OC'S Join the Dwma only to run in to Black Star and his crew but his Star clan Marking sends Shivers up their spines making them relive bad memories that haunt them to this day. Can they play nice and learn to trust black star and his crew or will they get revenge for what was done to them. Rated T for future content.
1. A new development

_The new students: Black star's new challenger? _

"_Remind me why we agreed to go the school this early in the morning again?" Yawned her Meister as he scratched his short messy blonde hair. _

"_You're the one who wanted to join Death Weapon Meister Academy you should have thought about that before you agreed." She Said with a roll of her Heterochromic eyes. _

_Today he was wearing A light blue dress shirt, untucked, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and a few buttons undone at the top. He matched this with Black slacks and shoes. It was completely different compared to her clothes. She wore A purple zip-up hoodie with the hood up over a lime green tank top that came out under her black T-shirt with Blue jeans and sneakers. They were opposites in almost every way he was a Friendly Jokester, She was Aloof and serious. It was hard to believe these two could even get along let alone be friends but they were. _

"_How are you not tired?" He questioned "you were up later than me."_

"_I never said I wasn't" she shrugged "_I_ just don't complain about it" she finished with a yawn. _

_The pair jogged up the steps in front of them leading to a strange looking black and white building covered with skulls and red spikes sticking out of it despite this odd décor it was somewhat welcoming, the way the building was set up you did not notice the strange look up close. As the two entered they walked down hall after hall, finally finding the Crescent Moon class._

"_Well we found the class room but we're late." She groaned_

"_So…. It means we get a dramatic entrance and you know how I feel about those" He joked. She saw that familiar playful spark that meant trouble for her in his Chocolate brown eyes they were hidden behind his square rimmed Brown Glasses._

"_Great. According to the paper The Professor's is named Stein." she added before he opened the door for them._

Upon entering the duo were stopped by a man in a patchwork lab coat, and dark shirt with gray hair, cracked glasses and an unsightly screw sticking out of his head that he kept twisting. "You're the new students I presume." He looked them up and down. "Hmmm I see." he said as he continued to study them. "Well why don't you introduce yourselves to the class then find a seat." He droned as he leaned over the back of a Patchwork themed computer chair. The boy then with a huge grin waved to class "twin hook swordsman Kankyo Hirou and this is my weapon Shizuka Maketa" He said in a loud rough voice. He motioned to the girl next to him hiding under the hood of her jacket, she gave a curt nod. "Say hi Shizuka" he teased as he lightly nudged her. "Hey" she simply responded in a silvery voice as she started towards the stairs that led to some open seats. He shook his head and smiled as he jogged up the steps behind her.

"Hey, wake up." Said Shizuka as she lightly shook her partner's shoulder "class is over."

"So what did we learn about?" Kankyo asked adjusting his glasses.

"Not much Professor just dissected some kind of bird" She said as she gathered her books.

"And I missed it! Why didn't you wake me" He whined

"you said you were tired" she stated with a shrugged as the headed outside.

"Hey! New kid!" shouted a voice from behind them. They turned to find the voice belonged to a blue haired boy with Tall black haired girl in tow.

"I think he's talking to you." She droned.

"Why me? You're new too." He shot back. She shrugged.

"Uh…Yeah!? asked Kankyo to the blue-ette

"I am Mighty Black star and I will surpass god! I thought you would want to meet the big star you been hearing so much about" Shouted the boy with a huge grin. He wore a black sleeve less shirt with white pants That changed to Black at the knee and black boots with white toes.

"Hi Black star It's nice to meet you." Said Kankyo beaming "But I have never heard of you." "What about you Shizuka?"

He looked at his partner she seemed frozen in place staring at the boy in front of them. "No." she said in a monotone but the look in her eyes was clear_. _It was fear. _He looked as his partner with a worried look he had seen her scared before but she never froze she fought it_.This, this was different it was not just fear she was breaking down inside something he had only seen once before._ 'What about this kid caused this?' __He thought.__ 'She was always indifferent with new people'. _He studied the kid in front of him cautiously then he saw it, the symbol. _'Star clan'_ he thought darkly as he stepped in front of Shizuka. She would get mad at him for try protecting her later but he was raised a gentlemen and part of that was to protect those who needed it and she needed it. _'We thought they were gone the last few who had escaped the wipe out were killed.' _He clenched his teeth trying to hold in his anger. They were acting friendly so for now he would act the same.

"Well you are new here so I bet you were too busy to hear about the great Black star" Yelled the boy unaware of reactions in front of him. Just then his companion who had been silent up till now spoke up.

"Do you guys need help with anything?" she asked sweetly She wore a Tan, sleeveless outfit with a skirt that has a slit down the side with a bright yellow star on the right side of the chest. With her long black hair pulled into a pony tail.

The girl's words snapped Shizuka out of her comatose state. _'If they intend to do us harm' _she thought _'they aren't going to show it here' _Placing a hand on her meister's shoulder to let him know it was fine. 'him and his Chivalry' She thought fighting the urge to her eyes. But she was glad he was their she needed the support she still felt Like her knees were about to collapse under her and like room was spinning, she hated it after years of training herself to remain come and being ready for an encounter with 'them' this was not how she wanted to seem weak and cowardly. _'Well here is goes'_ she thought. Smiling she pulled off her hood showing her eyes and her face full for the first time since arriving at the school.

"No, we're fine thank you" she said sweetly as if nothing was wrong as if her body was not screaming out to her to run and hide before she could gauge their reactions A few kids shouted the boy Black star's name and the girl whose name was Tsubaki the voices belonged to A albino boy with shark like teeth wearing a Black and yellow jacket with red jeans and a girl with Blond pig tails and green eyes she wore a black suit top with a plaid green and red Skirt. They were followed by a Boy wearing a black suit with Three white stripes on the left side of his black hair and two girls both blond wearing the same outfit Of a red shirt with white tie, hat and Blue jeans. The main visible difference between the two was their height.

"Hey, Black star." Said the Albino Giving him a high five

"What's up Soul" he replied

"Morning Tsubaki, Black star." said the boy with White stripes in is hair. "I see you have met the new Students." he looked at them "Hello, I'm Death the Kid"

"I'm Liz" said the taller of the two girls behind him. "And this is my sister Patty"

"Hi" she giggled

"I'm scythe master Maka" said the girl with the pig tails "and this is my partner Soul she said as she pointed to the Albino."

"Hi, I'm Kankyo" he greeted to the party but refused to fully take his eyes of Black star.

"Shizuka" She stated looking over the crowd. "We are pleased to meet you." She said as she lightly elbowed her partner this was usually his job she was not social by choice Between the two of them he was the personality and she was the brains, not that he wasn't smart or That she didn't have a personality when she wanted, it just didn't come naturally to them.

"Cool Scar" said the boy named Soul

"And whoa your eyes are two different colors!" Said patty

"Um… yeah" she Replied looking at the ground unsure of how to react. Her scar that ran from under her right eye across her nose to the bottom of her left ear had never been Praised. It was strange, to her and Kankyo the scar was just a mark of a bad memory to everyone else it was something to stare at. Her eyes were a mark of the family she lost long ago one blue, one green. A family trait that now marked her for death nothing she saw to be special just another thing to hide. She continued to look at the ground mentally begging Kankyo to save her from having to be friendly. Finally He spoke making her breathe a sigh of relief.

"Well it was nice meeting you all" He said with a winning smile "But we have to go." He lightly chuckled and rubbed the back of his head "you see I feel asleep in class so Shizuka has to tutor me in what we learned."

Like always with Kankyo if you didn't know he was faking it would be impossible to tell that was something She envied about him not only did social interactions come naturally to him but even when he was as distressed as she was he did not show it.

"Before we go let me make sure I got this right." said Kankyo. Just like Kankyo he even pretends their names matter when they really don't course maybe they did to him. She would never know names rarely mattered to her they were just a sea of too her faces. He pointed to The boy in a suit "Death the Kid With Liz and her sister Patty" he moved his finger with each name. "Scythe master Maka with her weapon soul and the Might Black Star with Tsubaki Right? He asked as he looked at her. Tsubaki Nodded. "Great! "Nice meeting all of you!" he shouted with a wave as he left. Shizuka turned and followed without a good bye.

As soon as they were out of ear shot she asked "what are we going to do? They found us."

"I don't know" he answered "We have to get rid of him. we can't let him tell the others."

"Agreed"


	2. Got a Plan?

Shizuka sat at the kitchen table of her and kankyo's apartment studying a notebook, pen in hand. It had been a little over two weeks since their encounter with Black star and his crew and she had been on edge ever since. The only thing calming her now was the smell of the chili Kankyo was making; he was going heavy on the garlic again. Normally she would cook, but ever since their run in with Black Star he's been doing more work around the house so she had less to worry about. Truthfully it gave her less to distract herself with, but she would never tell him that. Tonight they were comparing notes on what they learned about the new threat in their life. They planned to weaken Black star's crew before they took him on finding places to knock each of them down a few pegs, throw them off their game anything to get them distracted. They decided to start with the albino and his partner.

"Ok" shouted Shizuka "I'll start with pig tails."

"Who?" Questioned Kankyo leaving the Chili to look at her notes.

"Pig tails."

Kankyo chuckled and leaned over her shoulder "you mean Maka." he informed her as he took her pen and started writing names next to her notes he was lucky her Nicknames were easy to figure out Pig tails, Albino, Striped hair the only name she had right was Black star. 'Bad with names like always' he thought as he finished and went back to the dinner. Shizuka looked over each of the names his handwriting was ridiculously neat for a guy. It made her chicken scratch look like a foreign language in comparison.

"Maka" Skizuka sighed "Top of the class, her main competitor for this position is Ox, It seem to be a big deal to her if she is not at the top. Can control witch hunter, anti-magic wave length, her father is Death Scythe and her mother is nowhere to be found." She finished looking at Kankyo.

Kankyo brought over two bowls of food on a tray with two cans of soda. "She also hates her dad because he cheated on her mother, she and Soul have had problems getting along in the past, and she blamed herself for Soul getting injured a couple months back." He added as he places a bowl in front of Shizuka.

Shizuka took a bite of the warm chili 'it was just like him' She thought 'he got the emotions behind the person while I have the facts, maybe that was why they worked so well together.'

"So any ideas?" Shizuka asked

Kankyo mouth was full so he tapped his chin to signal he was thinking about it she nodded in response. Shizuka took this time to study Kankyo something she did often it helped her get a new perspective to focus on something else for a bit and he was always around, always had been from the time they were kids. It was Saturday night so he was in his lazy clothes. He was wearing a black long sleeve shirt that had a few buttons at the top which he left undone of course; the sleeves were pulled up so she would not yell at him about how it's dangerous to cook with long sleeves. He matched that with green camo P.J. bottoms, his hair was messier than usual and his glasses were beginning to slide down his nose. He was humming tunelessly like he always did when in deep thought. It used to bug her when he hummed but now it just something he does.

Kankyo finally spoke "you said Maka fights to stay in the top of the class right?"

"Yeah against a kid named Ox."

"Well the test for class ranking is coming up next week professor Stein said he does not expect us to know everything on the test because we joined the school year late but knowing you, I bet you have read all the class textbook already right?"

He was right when they were given the text book a week before their first day of school right after they agreed to join the school. She had read it in the first few days ever since then she has read more advanced versions of the textbook she could find in the library. She had just finished the last textbook she could find that didn't dive in to just one subject. She knew enough that a test would be easy for her.

"Yes I have."

"Good then become top of the class." He grinned "It should be easy for you and she would never expect it"

Shizuka nodded She had planned on staying in the middle of the class so she didn't stand out, but she thought it was a good plan.

"We will have to do to more to throw her of her game but it's a good place to start. What about Soul?" Questioned Shizuka

"He's from a rich family of musicians, talented at playing the piano but feels inferior to his brother when it comes to music so he rarely plays, he tries hard to be cool and cares a great deal for Maka." Listed Kankyo "What about you?"

"Not much he is a slacker tried to cheat on a test in the past, is willing to give his life for his partner, was injured and almost killed a few months ago, Never goes by his last name, tries to team up with Black star once but failed due to incompatible wavelengths, Is the first weapon in his family." Read Shizuka

"Sounds like the place to hit him is his insecurities about his family and his bond with Maka."

Shizuka stood up and stared to collect the dish to clean up, Kankyo watched her. He had been worried about her since discovering there was a member star clan still around, he knew what she had been thinking if one managed to hide how many others were there. She had been quieter the usual and was rarely taking her nose a book these days. She was closing herself off not only was that bad as a weapon and meister pair but it meant she was having the nightmares again. He had heard her screaming in the middle of the night, it took all he could not to run in there and check on her but he knew if he did she would feel bad about waking him up. Another part of him would wait for her to crawl in to his bed like she did when they were kids and she had the nightmares, she had not done that in years. He would still make room for her if she ever decided to sneak in but she never did. So he was stuck with studying her and waiting for when she fell to pieces. He hated it but that was the only time she would accept his attempts at comfort anymore. She pulled at the arms of her hoodie sliding the thumbs out of the holes she cut in the sleeves. Today she was wearing his old pull over faded blue hoodie; He had grown out of the hoodie a few years back, And gave it to her knowing she would find some use for it. Earlier he had seen her in an hole filled light gray tank top so he guessed that was Underneath the hoodie. She also wore her favorite pair black basketball shorts. He continued to watch her as she cleaned up after dinner he could tell she was thinking about what to do about Soul, she was biting her lip like she always did when she was in a deep thought that worried her. Shizuka finally spoke snapping him out of his train of thought.

"Well if we start to mess with Maka, Soul will most likely get on her nerves and she will lash out at him, like what I do when I have had it with your jokes."

"Hey, what wrong with my—"

"After She as yelled at him once or twice it will be easier to knock him down a few pegs."

"All right then." said Kankyo Standing up, he walked over and kneelt down in front their DVD collection "You up for a movie night I was thinking a comedy."

"Hmm I prefer horror." Shizuka said as she sat down on their black couch with her hands in the front pocket of the hoodie.

"Romantic comedy?" Kankyo asked with a playful grin as he waved some cheesy rom-com at her from across the room

"You know I hate those." She replied with a smile.


	3. Nightmares

One week later.

"So you think your ready for the test Maka?" asked Tsubaki

"Yup, I studied all week. I'm going to stay top of the class of sure." She replied with a grin.

"Did you and Black star study together?"

"mmhm. I think he will do better than last time."

"That is if he didn't get caught stealing the test again."

Kankyo and Shizuka sat a few rows up watching the girls as they chatted away about their partners. Kankyo knew this test would be difficult part of him worried if Shizuka could do it. He had heard Maka got 99 before he had faith that Shizuka could get 100 but he would not have peace of mind till the scores were posted. Shizuka looked at her partner he had been bouncing his leg since they sat down, it was jiggling her chair. She knew he was anxious but he had to stop for her sanity. She reached over and placed her hand firmly on his knee.

"Stop it." She said calmly Kankyo stopped and looked at her. "Everything will be fine"

Kankyo nodded. He didn't understand how she could be so calm when she had not had a restful night's sleep in weeks. Maybe it was all just an illusion to help calm him down. It was hard to tell with her she was good at hiding her true emotions. Though he had learned to read most of her subtle signals but some were still a mystery to him. Shizuka suddenly heard a voice right next to her causing her to jump. It was Pig tails, the girl had been friendly with them since they showed up. Kankyo said from what he could tell Maka was truly trying to be friendly but she thought it was just a ruse, gain their trust so she could stab them in the back.

"Hi, Maka you excited about the test?" Asked Kankyo.

"Yup, How do you guys think you will do?"

"Well with Shizuka's tutoring I should be in near the top 20" He cracked that crooked smile that Shizuka had seen many a girl melt at. Maka seemed unfazed unlike the girls just behind her who were swooning at him. Shizuka fought the urge to roll her eyes and groan. 'Why do all the girls go berserk around him? Would I be like that if I hadn't grown up with him? No, I'm not that kind of girl.' Shizuka thought as she watched the girls behind Maka wave at Kankyo.

"How about you Shizuka?" Said Maka

Shizuka Shrugged. "I really don't know I forgot to study." She could see Kankyo waving With a huge grin on his face at the girls out of the corner of her eye, she was pretty sure he winked too.

"Well Kankyo has confidence in you."

'is she always this positive' thought Shizuka. "I know, Thank you good luck"

"Good luck on the test Maka." Cheered Kankyo

"You too." She waved as she turned to leave.

Shizuka stared at the test in front of her she had just finished checking her answers with fifteen minutes to spare. She checked again no mistakes now she had ten minutes to spare. She looked down at the group in front of her Maka and Tsubaki seemed to be the only ones who were taking this test seriously. She looked at the rest of the group Liz she was filing her nails with only half of the test done her sister was making an art project. Shizuka had to admit it was a good elephant even though the trunk was not finished. Her eyes trailed farther down the group, Kid only had part of his name one the paper and was erasing a perfectly good H. Soul seemed to be trying to copy of the student in below him and Black star seems to have dozed off. She looked at the clock three minutes left. Kankyo was almost done.

"Times up! Grades will be posted in a week" Said Stein

"Now we wait." Said Kankyo.

Shizuka eyes shot open. She was breathing short, heavy breaths. Sweat beads ran down her face as She looked around the room, wide eyed, Checking every dark corner of her room to final stop on her clock it read 1:45. She sighed 'Another nightmare.' She buried her face in her hands. She could still feel the Icy Knife on her skin and the warm blood trialing down her face and arms. She shivered rubbing her bare arms. She reached over turning on the lamp on her night stand. She had to make sure the blood was not there, No just the scars left from that night. Her nightmare was once a reality that now haunted her. She walked over to the mirror in her room and looked at the scar on her face, she looked down at the scars on her arms they were there to a constant reminder of the night her parents died, No, were murdered. She heard a knock at her door.

"Come in"

Kankyo opened the door and poked his head in "Hey"

"I didn't wake you did I?" asked Shizuka 'I wonder if I screamed in my sleep.'

"No, I was up playing videogames and saw your light was on" he said as he walk to her bed and plopped down with his hands behind his head.

Kankyo watched her stare at her hands. He could tell she was about to shatter one more night she would have a breakdown he couldn't let that happen not again. He got up and grabbed her arms and pulled her into a hug. She lightly hugged him back he could tell it for his sake. What could he do to help her?

"Tell me the dream." He said as he pulled away from her and dragged her to sit on her bed. He knew what the dream was she had told it before not only that but he had helped her after the real event. She stared holes in the floor. She knew he would sit there and wait for her to tell him even if he had to wait till morning so she had to give in completely or be vague.

"It was the same as always, my parents being tortured and killed in front of me, as well as my own torture. I can feel the knife cutting the star into my arm." She said as she ran her fingers over the star on her right forearm "I could feel the cut being made face. I feel is him carving his name into my left arm. The last thing I feel is getting stabbed. The dream ends with him leaving thinking I died like my parents." She finished a few tears falling from her eyes. There was more to the dream they both knew it.

Kankyo sat quietly while he let her cry she was a silent crier the only thing you could hear was when she inhaled. He could feel her shake with her sobs. She rarely cried and when she did he was never sure how to comfort her. Every time she cried he would just hold her. He was never sure if it helped. Right now he had her pulled against him her right side pressed on the center of his chest her head was under his chin. He could not help but think back that day. He had come over to play like he always did. He opened the door. He found something never expected to find. It was Shizuka and her parents each tied a chair, each covered in blood. He fought the urge to shutter as he remembered that image. He ran home and told his parents who were best friends of Shizuka's parents they had attended DWMA together. A little bit later his mom can back carrying Shizuka in her arms. He remembered his mom asked him to get wet rags and bandages. He remembered hearing her on the phone with someone telling them Shizuka's parents were dead but Shizuka was alive. After that he helped his mom clean Shizuka's injuries. They had only been 7 at the time after that Shizuka came to live with them. One of the men who attacked her family was killed by his parents. He was the one who did the most damage. Gray Star The name that was carved into Shizuka's arms the man who killed her family and left her scarred in almost every way possible was killed by his parents, but the second man got away not only that but he had killed Kankyo's dad and Almost killed his mother with poison, she was left paralyzed. They were 12 when his father was killed. His mom died when they were 14 from heart problems doctors thought it was from the poison that almost killed her a few years earlier but they were unsure. They were now both 17 and the only thing he wanted now was to see his Best friend smile.

"Hey, Kankyo?" She said so softly he almost didn't hear it. He glanced at the clock she had only been crying for a few minutes, She would only allow herself to cry for a few minutes at a time. He knew that if he gave her a few minutes she would let out a few more quick sobs then stop again. She would do that tills she stopped crying it was her way of starting to suck it up. He truthfully wished all girls cried like that he had met some that cried for hours nonstop.

"Yes?" he replied

"Thank you" she said as she pulled away with a grin. Kankyo could tell the smile was forced.

"Well you know I'm a sucker for a pretty girl." He said jokingly as he wiggled his eyebrows. Shizuka scoffed as she wiped at her eyes.

"Idiot." She said with a small smile "Is there ever a time when you're not flirting?"

"If I didn't flirt we would never finish a job." It was true when it came to getting information out of people or getting into a place Kankyo could flirt his way past almost anyone and usually did. He did not care the gender of the person or the age he just flirted. If his flirting didn't work then they would use Shizuka's method of getting information, Bribery, but he would flirt even when they weren't working a job it was just a part of his personality.

"Hey, remember when you had to flirt with that creepy shop owner because he would not accept a bribe." Kankyo laughed "I never knew you had it in you."

"I thought we agreed to never speak of that again." Replied Shizuka

"No, you said," He rose his voice trying to mimic Shizuka's voice. "We will never speak of this again." As he finished his voice returned to normal. "I never agreed to that."

Shizuka rolled her eyes and yawned, he had successfully brightened her mood with his antics but she was getting tired and they had to go to school tomorrow To see if she Beat Maka on the test.

"Kankyo, It's 2:55 we need to go to bed"

"Speak for yourself, I need to finish a Quest on my game."

Shizuka stood up and walked in to the living room and picked his controller off the ground in front of a stack of pillows, hits save and shuts the game off, Then lightly tossed the controller to the couch as well as the pillows that belong there. The last two pillows she hands to Kankyo.

"Hey!"

"At least I saved, it's not like I'm completely mean. You can continue the quest tomorrow. Now go to bed."

Kankyo turned with the pillows in hand and walks into her room and closes the door.

"Hey, what are you—"

Shizuka follows him into her room to find him in her bed with his back to the door. The covers were pulled back with just enough room for her slid in next to him if she wanted. He had thrown on of her pillows to her desk chair and replaced it with the ones she had given him. He then rolled over and looked at her.

"This is my bed, yours is that way" Said Shizuka and she pointed towards his bedroom door.

"Yeah, but that's all the way over there and I'm comfortable here besides you told me to go to bed so I went to the closest bed." He said with a stretch "I left room for you." He knew she would most likely have another nightmare before it was time to get up. He wanted to be there when she did even if he was asleep he knew just being there would help her calm down. Shizuka was couldn't believe him, or that she was considering it. The last time they slept in the same bad was when they were 14 after his mother died. That was one of the few times he crawled into her bed the only other time being after he learned his father died. She was the one who always use to climb into his bed at night after a nightmare because she felt safer with him around. She guessed the reason behind that was he saved her life. If he had not come over to play that morning she had no doubt in her mind she would have died. She was too tired to have a battle of will power with him. So she turned out the light, and slid into bed next to him.

"I'll keep my hands to myself I Promise." Said Kankyo she could hear the smile in his voice.

"good."

His head suddenly popped up. "hey, wait where is your promise to keep your hands to yourself?" Shizuka reached back and hit him.

"Ouch."

"shut up and sleep." Shizuka knew she hadn't hit him that hard. He was saying ouch to be dramatic.

"I still don't have a promise that you are going to keep your hands to yourself, I can't sleep if I have to worry about you feeling me up in my sleep." Said Kankyo "Ouch that one actually hurt, ok, ok goodnight." She felt him roll over "when did you become so violent?" She heard him mutter before he finally shut up.

"night" Replied Shizuka stifling a Laugh.


	4. The results

"Get up." Kankyo felt something hit is face at the same time a voice was telling him to get up. He reached up and pulled object off his face and looked at it. 'A towel?' He looked in the direction of the voice that disturbed his dream. It was Shizuka wrapped in a towel fresh from the shower.

"Get up. You have to get ready and I have to get dressed."

Kankyo groaned and rolled over to face the wall. "I won't look."

"That's not the point. We over slept. Get up."

"Well if you don't care if I watch you change, maybe I will." He Replied sleepily

Kankyo could hear an annoyed huff from his partner followed by the Squeak of Shizuka's dresser drawer. He knew she would not change with him in the room she was just grabbing clothes. He rolled back over. The bed felt too comfortable to get out. He watched her stare into her closet. Her black hair was clinging to her neck and shoulders what wasn't sticking to her was dripping water onto the floor. Her pale skin looked even lighter in contrast to the off white towel wrapped around her. If he wasn't so sleepy he would be teasing her more but his mind was too fogged to even try. Shizuka pulled out a black hoodie with a pair of blue jeans from her closet then walked back to her dresser. This wasn't a new sight for him he had seen her in a towel before, The first time she came in to his room in a towel he got a nosebleed, she was pretty, stunning even, though she did nothing to show it off and most of her clothes were a little baggy so it took him by surprise to her like that. He had seen guys watch her as they pasted, she always thought they were staring at the scar on her face or her eyes and some were, but others watched her like packs of hungry wolves after that he finally understood why. His eyes had now found her scars. He could see some on her shoulder blades and on the back of her legs when she turned around he could see them on her collar bone, and on her shins. She was truthfully covered in scars; they were why she always wore long sleeves and jeans unless she was at home. She then grabbed her clothes and left. She came back a little bit later wearing a maroon shirt long sleeved shirt and blue jeans still telling at him to get up.

"Get up Kankyo!" She hollered as she sat down on the edge of the bed to put on her socks.

Kankyo finally sat up so her hair wouldn't drip cold water on him. He groaned "What do you have against sleep?" he asked a he rubbed his eyes. Now that she was sitting so close to him he could smell her body wash that reminded him of the rain and her blackberry shampoo, it was beginning to make him hungry, he wondered if there was time for them to get breakfast.

"If it was just a normal school day I would have let us skip but today is the day they post the test scores." She stood up "now get up." She pulled the covers off of him.

"I am up." He groaned now sitting on the edge of her bed.

"Then to the shower." She grabbed his arm and pulled him to a standing position and grab the towel she threw at him tossing it over his shoulder "Don't make me wash you." She said as she pushed him into the bathroom and closed the door.

Kankyo Yawned and shook his head to remove the last bit of fog from his mind. That was one of the few things he and his partner had in common they both hated mornings though she seemed like she was a morning person she wasn't. She was the kind of person who would set their alarm and hour early so she could hit the snooze a few times or just lay in bed till she felt like getting up so she could still be on time. Where he would just set his alarm for the latest time possible then lay in bed even after it went off. If it weren't for her he would be an hour late to everything. It was ironic really because she hated going places; he had to drag her to social events. He stepped in the shower. Only to jump back at the cold water 'Why does she always take ice cold showers?' he thought.

Shizuka and kankyo stood amongst a crowd of antsy students, trying to push their way to the front to see what grade they got on the super written exam.

"I hate crowds." Shizuka Seethed as she got pushed into Kankyo for the hundredth time. "Can you see the scores from here?"

Kankyo stretched up on his toes to look over the sea of heads, he shook his head "nope to many heads in the way. You're short, see if you can move through the crowd"

"I'm 5'6". I'm taller than half the girls here." She stated now stretching up on her tiptoes to look at the crowd. Kankyo waited for a follow up comment on his height. She slid in to the crowd. Kankyo craned his neck and watched her weave through the crowd till she got to the front. Shizuka stared at the list in front of her. The nervousness was getting to her. She was not willing to look for her name just yet. Hirou… Hirou…. Hirou, Kankyo 96% class ranking 4. Shizuka let a small smile seep out the corners of her mouth. He had been paying attention during her tutoring. It was hard to tell with him, he often zoned out or he started to draw. He was a great artist, he had learned how to draw thinking it would help him pick up girls; so far it has only worked once. Shizuka drew in a deep breath. 'can't postpone it any longer' she thought as she started to scan the list again. Maketa… Her eyes passed over kankyo's name again. The Third name Ford, Ox 97%, Second name Alburn, Maka 99% the last name she came across was hers Maketa, Shizuka 100%. She heaved a sigh of relief and regained her composure before slipping back into the crowd.

"So?" Asked kankyo as they walked away from the crowd.

"Hirou, Kankyo 96%, class ranking 4." Shizuka recited

"Yes." He fist pumped the air, with a huge grin on his face "what'd you get?"

"Maketa, Shizuka 100%, class ranking 1" She droned

Kankyo cheered and pulled her in to a tight hug. His excitement was overwhelming. He starting to jump a little while still giving her a bone crushing hug.

"Kankyo, let me go." Shizuka said as she stood there stiffly. She was not one to show off great enthusiasm. She suppressed her emotions and internalized everything. This amount of joy for a small victory was just suffocating for her, but she would let him be his joyous self. They continued walking down the hall Till they heard a shout.

"Hey, you!"

Kankyo and Shizuka kept walking not recognizing the voice, Till they were just in front of The Crescent Moon Class.

"Hey, I'm talking to you!" This time the voice was right behind them.

"Yes?" Asked kankyo as he turned. He recognized the face but could not put a name to it. Kankyo Stood there racking his brain for a name of this kid and his companion. They were in his class but who were they? And what did they want with him? Kankyo continued to study the boy. He had pitch black hair and piercing black eyes; he wore mostly black except for a band around his left wrist. Who was this kid? Kankyo looked at the boy's partner She had white hair and wore mostly white except for a black band on her right wrist.

"How did you two get to the top of the class when you have only been here month? You must have cheated."

"No, just studied." Shugged Kankyo

"You're lying and I'm going to prove it! Kirito Kiryu, Guandao meister, this my partner Yuki yi. If you're in the top of the class it means you're the best but I don't think you could beat that wimpy kid Crona in a fight."

Shizuka recognized the names they placed Fifth and sixth in the class. They must be upset they were bumped down by the new kids. She was not in the mood for a fight but she could almost see the excitement coming off kankyo.

"Hey, Crona is Better then you will ever be. Shizuka!" Shouted kankyo

"Wait, kankyo school rules state we need a teacher watch the fight." Shizuka stated hoping to find a reason to not have to fight. As she searched her mind for who this Crona Kid was.

"Professor Stein!" yelled Kankyo opening the classroom door. "Kirito and I are going to fight and we need a teacher to mandate."

"fine then." Said Stein as he dragged his computer chair behind him.

Shizuka groaned inwardly she hated pointless fighting. It was moments like these when she questioned why she agreed to be his partner when they were kids. Kankyo liked to fight he found it fun and would never turn down a challenge. The Boy In black then looked at her and cracked a smile.

"After this how about you and I –"

"No, Thanks" Shizuka interrupted with barely even a glance in his direction.

Kankyo smirked Now that the boy Across from him was fuming "See you outside."


	5. Fighting Souls

Shizuka and Kanyo faced the pair Shizuka could only describe as the yin-yang twins. Kankyo and the boy were still talking trash waiting for Professor Stein to say it was ok to start the fight. Shizuka took the time to obverse the crowd that was beginning to show up. Maka and Soul stood next to Stein, Maka seemed a little distracted it looked like their plan was working at unsettling her. Her eyes found Black star and Tsubaki, she could hear Black star saying something about challenging the winner. Death the kid was not far away he smiled when they made eye contact and nodded. It was meant to be a sign that he was rooting for them but to Shizuka it meant he was watching and would get glimpse of their skill. That could be dangerous, maybe she was just paranoid she would never know. She faintly heard the sound Stein giving the go through her thoughts. She looked just in time to jump out of the way from an attack. Kankyo looked at her, She nodded, jumped in the air and changed in to her weapon form. Kankyo caught black twin hooded Swords and started to defend himself.

"Maka, have you taken the chance to look at the new students' souls?" asked Stein

"No, Professor."

"Then tell me what do you see?"

Maka looked at the two people in front of her. Kankyo's soul was a green color wearing his square rimmed glasses and a laughing smile. Shizuka's was a dark blue with layers matching her hair around it, it had a small almost nonexistent smile.

"Kankyo has a Happy, playful, but desultory Soul. Shizuka on the hand has a calm, thoughtful but cautious soul."

"Correct Maka. Shizuka helps ground his excitable and easily distracted personality. While Kankyo helps her come out of her protective shell and show her the fun side of things. They truly are an interesting pair. What do you see in their bond?"

"I'm not sure how to describe it Loyalty or trust would be the best word for it but somehow it seems like it does not fully fit."

"The word I think fits is dependence, I have a feeling those two would be lost without the other."

Maka went back to watching the fight. Kankyo just dodged another attack at his legs. Maka noted that Kankyo had not made a move to attack yet he had only been defending himself. She was beginning to wonder why. Just then Kankyo ducked to avoid another attack this time using the hook on the end of his sword to catch Kirito's ankle and drag it out from under him. Then followed it up by bring Shizuka down to the boy making spinning motion with his body to cause the blades to spin like a downward propeller. If the boy didn't have his partner in front of him he would have surly been injured, his partner was taking a great amount of damage as it is. Over the sound of medal hitting medal she could faintly hear Shizuka telling Kankyo to ease up. After which slowed his barge of attacks and backed up.

"Are you still willing to fight?" Questioned Kankyo his voice was Seemed Dark and threatening. He knew he had over done it, if Shizuka had not yelled at him to lighten up he could have truly injured them. He knew now they were shocked, scared, and beaten, but they could still walk and fight if the wanted. There was no doubt in his mind that they would be hurting for the next few days at least. He stood there waiting for a reply. He beginning to feel bad he had lost control all the weeks of suppressed rage at the Star Clan had been let out, that was the only thing that could make his blood boil so hot. He could still feel it there was more wanting to be released but he suppressed it, As it is Shizuka would make him spare with her tonight because of his little outburst. She would kick his butt too, till he let out all his rage. Shizuka changed back, and was now offering the boy her hand, his partner was till in weapon form. Just then the boy made a move. Swing the blade part of his weapon at Shizuka in one move she block with her arm now in the shape of a blade with a hook at the end. Following the block she punched him hard in the gut, from what kankyo could tell it knocked the wind out of the boy. She followed this with a sweep of his legs and stepped on his weapon pressing it to his chest. Her quick moves and constant pressing on his chest made it hard for the boy to catch his breath.

"Winning by cheating is not winning at all." She said with an edge in her voice. He was luck that was all she did to him. Kankyo had seen her take down a group of people before at her dojo without breaking a sweat and this guy had just crack through her calm demur. She turned and walk away to stand next to Kankyo, refusing to look at the boy. Now he was sure that they were going to be sparing tonight not only help with his anger but with hers as well.

"Let go home." She said

"Okay." Replied Kankyo Flatly.

Kankyo awoke to the smell of bacon. He glanced at this clock, 11:30. Shizuka must have woken around 11. It was a Saturday morning if you could call it that this late in the morning. He sat up with a groan his side hurt from the sparing they did last night. He looked at his left side where the pain was radiating from. A bruise covered the left side of his body most likely from Shizuka's kicks. Kicking was her strong suit when it came to sparing. He walked into the kitchen to find a plate of chocolate waffles at his seat. On top were a few slices of strawberries, something his mother use to make him. He sat down and dug in. Shizuka walk over carrying a plate full of bacon, which she placed in the center of the table. After which she sat down across from him with a place that he could only guess was full of blueberry waffles. He could tell by the way she walk that he had done some damage last night as well. It was a quiet morning. After breakfast he did the dishes while Shizuka showered then he showered. Now they were sitting in the living room on the couch. Shizuka was lying on her back with her legs on Kankyo's reading her book to Kankyo, while he was drawing the scenes in the book. It was something they did often, one would choose a book and they would read it together. They had done it since his mom died. This book was one she picked it was good but it had its dull moments. Then the doorbell rang.

"You get it." ordered Shizuka

"Why me?"

"Cause I don't want too." The doorbell rang again.

"Coming!" They shouted in unison

"Roshambo?" Asked Kankyo with a nod Shizuka started a game of Paper-Rock-Scissors. Shizuka threw Paper. Kankyo Scissors.

"Best Two out of three?"

"Nope."

Shizuka groaned as she got off the couch and yanked the door Open. "Yeah?" One the other side of the door stood Black Star and Soul. Shizuka froze 'how did they know where we live?' She thought. Kankyo was now standing behind her hand on the door.

"What are you guys doing here?" Kankyo said beaming

"Hey, want to join us for a game of basketball?" asked Soul spinning the ball on his pointer finger.

Shizuka finally collected her thoughts "I really don't play" She said. It wasn't true though Kankyo use to make her play with him growing up. In return he would play house with her when she asked, which was rare.

"Aww, come on you'll get to play with a great star like." Bragged Black Star

Kankyo stood there rubbing the back of his neck. He was unsure of how to answer they were trying to be friendly if he had to guess it was Maka's or Kid's idea they kept trying to welcome them. His mind was reeling with responses, as they stood there in silence for what seemed like hours. Then to his surprise Shizuka spoke again with a winning grin on her face. He could tell it was forced but, it was better than most could fake.

"Well I guess we could play a few games." The tone was as sweet as honey but Kankyo could see her hand on the doorknob. Its knuckles were white from how tight she was squeezing the knob. She was nervous but once again unless you knew where to look you could never tell.

"Awesome." Black star jumped in to the air.

"Just let us change." Said Kankyo.


	6. Playing with the enemy

Kankyo and Shizuka walked behind Soul and Black star listening to the two arguing on whose team was going to win. Shizuka was now dressed in blue jeans and a purple tank top with a black hoodie which she left unzipped. Kankyo walked next to her in a pair of light blue Basketball shorts with a Black tank top on.

"How do they know where we live?" Whispered Shizuka

"My guess would be Kid found it out for them."

"Great."

"Brightside we can use this to learn more about them."

Shizuka nodded then said "Ok. Better question. Why are you wearing a shirt when you're just going to take it off as soon as the game starts?"

"How can you joke at a time like this?" asked Kankyo trying his best impression of Shizuka's stern voice

"I must have picked it up somewhere?" She shugged

Kankyo chuckled in response, the fact that she was trying to crack a joke worried him. Shizuka had a dry sense of humor most of her jokes were well placed movie quotes in conversations or a sarcastic comment that she didn't intend to be funny. The fact that she was trying to crack a joke meant she was fall apart and she was trying to lighten the heavy mood they were both feeling. Kankyo felt bad that was usually his job but he was distracted by the fact that it was Shizuka who agreed to play this game with them.

They finally got to the court to hear the others discussing who would be captain and possible punishments. Some suggested Kid as team leader others said Suggested letting Kankyo or Shizuka be team leader. It was final decided that Black star was leader on one team and Soul the other. Now it was time to pick teams and punishments.

Shizuka leaned over to Kankyo "You thinking what I'm thinking?" she whispered

"That it's too hot to play with a shirt on, and that I'm all for you joining me on the "skins" team." Kankyo said with a grin.

"Worked hard on that one did you?" She replied with a smile. "No, the punishments are a good way to mess with Black star and Soul; something small that the others will agree too."

"How about Black star has to serve the other teams' every wish for a week." Offer up Kankyo with a side glance at Shizuka.

Shizuka had to shrug at his offer was a good idea a possible blow to his pride; she just wished they had time to plan with this. She was beginning wonder why she even agreed to go to this. It just came out but she could not think of a reason as to why. Some would say she subconsciously wanted to go. Others would say it was the fact she was asked to go somewhere by a couple of boys who she had to admit were cute, but neither were her type. She hated to admit it but her type was someone like Kankyo a joker, a flirt, an extrovert. She had crushed on many a boy like him; people over the years told them they would be cute together. The idea was just too odd she often thought of him as a brother but there was always someone who reminded her otherwise. The calling of her name snapped her out of her thoughts she was called to Soul's team. She had missed what his punishment would be but she didn't care she wanted Black star to lose anyway. Her team had Soul, Tsubaki, Kankyo and herself. Black stars team had Kid, Patty, Liz and Maka. The game was quick the final score was 7-6 Black star lost. Kankyo in excitement had picked up Shizuka and now parading her around the court.

"Put me down!" Shizuka shouted he had somehow lifted her onto his shoulders. She felt uneasy being this high in the air. Kankyo was already about 6'1" Being on his shoulder put her at about 5'8" off the ground. If you add her height it was higher than she liked with him running around and no real support.

"Come on I'm celebrating your winning shot!"

"Well you can do that with me firmly on the ground." She was done with this and was tempted to see if she could get down by jumping off. She probably could but not without hurting Kankyo. He finally knelt down so she could get off easily.

"Hey, would guys like to get some ice cream with us?" asked Soul

"Actually we have to go." Kankyo.


	7. Invites

"Mail's In!" Shouted Kankyo as he dropped his keys on the kitchen table. The only thing he heard in response was the sound of a guitar. He smiled to himself Shizuka had not played in a while. He sat down next to her bedroom door with his back to the wall maybe if he was lucky he would hear her sing. She had a great voice but was to shy sing in front of others. Last time he heard her sing was when she sung Where is My Mind by the Pixies at his mother's funeral. She sung it before anyone showed up; it was his mother's favorite song. A sad smile crossed his face as he started to listen. She was playing 'Livin on a Prayer' right now. He could faintly hear a voice through space between the floor and door. He listened to her finish the song and start another he knew, 'Hotel California'. He would have sat there all day and listened if possible but he had news for her that he knew she would want to know sooner then later. He stood up, and grabbed the piece of mail he needed and threw open her door just she was starting the chorus.

"Welcome to the Hotel California, such a lovely place, such a lovely face, Any time of year you can find me here." Kankyo sang loudly out of key while trying to be as dramatic as possible. As he finished he look down at Shizuka who smiling at his antics.

"You missed a line." She stated as she stifled a laugh.

"Did I?"

With a nod Shizuka said the line "Plenty of room in the hotel California."

"Damn. Let me try again." he stated as he started to walk out.

"Kankyo." She said with a bit of laughter. "What did you come in here for?"

"Oh Yeah. We got invited to The party for the school's birthday."

Shizuka rolled her eyes "Everyone get invites for that."

"Yeah but I came I to tell you it's In three days." He held up three fingers. "And if I'm right you have nothing to wear to an event like that." He pointed out as he started to go through her closet.

Shizuka groaned. He was right she owned nothing like that why would she; it was not her style. Kankyo on the other hand had suits to choose from, he liked suits. She was tempted to just give Kankyo the money and have him buy something for her he was good at that he probably knew her dress size from just looking at her; something she had no clue about. If she was going to go shopping she would have to bring him to help her navigate the stores and to help her know what would be considered proper for an event like this.

"How about we stay home that night? We can have a Halo tournament." She offered up.

"Good try but no. We have to go we have been invited."

"You're kidding me. You consider that a real invite."

"Yes!" He replied as he dug through her closet.

"What are you looking for?" Asked Shizuka as she got up and looked at the closet.

"A coat or cover you can wear to cover your scars." He finally gave up and walked over to her dresser, pulled out an envelope. He knew it held money for as a just in case right now it held 500 dollars. He stuffed half in his pocket as he grabbed Shizuka by the arm and pulled towards the door.

"Come on we have to go shopping."


	8. A day to remember

Beep! Beep! Beep! 'Why is my alarm going off; I don't remember setting it?' Thought Shizuka as she blindly reached for her clock.

"The weather is nice and sunny on this beautiful Saturday morning-" Shizuka stopped looking for her clock that was Kankyo voice, she understood now why it was still going off it was never the clock. With a groan she rolled so her back was facing the noise.

"You better have a good reason for coming into my room on Saturday morning."

"Well first off it's not your room, it's mine."

Shizuka opened her eyes for the first time instead of the wall she was expecting; there was floor space then a dresser pressed up against the wall. Scattered on the floor before were various comic books and manga, Leading to the Dark brown dresser. On the dresser were a couple of framed pictures and pinned to the wall above it were many drawings. She must a fallen asleep while waiting for Kankyo finish his new drawing. She final rolled over and looked at her partner. He stood shirt less in the door way of his room. He had on a pair of blue jean, which hung low on his hips. His hair was dripping wet most likely from a shower. Shizuka laid back down and put her arm over her eyes.

"Pull up your Pants." She said

Kankyo yanked his pants up jokingly over his belly button "There happy." Shizuka look over "Better."

"So I bet your wondering why I woke you up this early."

"I just assumed you had a death wish."

"Ha ha ha" Kankyo said sarcastically "No, we still have to find you a jacket for the party tonight."

Shizuka rolled over and hid her head under the pillow with a groan. "Can't I just wear yours."

"No, it would look funny. Come on party is tonight so we have to get going."

With a groan Shizuka pushed herself up to a sitting position running her fingers through her hair. She felt like she could sleep for another week. She looked at her arms was she willing to go without some kind of cover in exchange for a few more hours of sleep. She remembered when her scars were red and healing when they were like that she didn't cover them. She started to cover them as she got older around age 10 or 11 after she had them for a while. Around that time she began to care about her looks and a few of the kids at school teased her about the scars. As she got older when people saw the scars they asked what happened, so to avoid that questions and the unwanted sympathy she kept her arms covered. Could she leave them uncovered for just one night? The dress Kankyo had found for her stopped just below the knees so a few of the scars on her legs would show, but those scars though long and ugly were nothing compared to the name on her arms.

"Hey." Said Kankyo softly now sitting on the end of the bed. He had an idea of what she was thinking. Over the years she had tryed uncovering her arms but she hated the attention that came from them. She hated the questions, the judging looks, He had heard some people blame her or her parents for the scars. He thought back to his mom after his father died and she became paralyzed. She had days were she felt Useless, ugly or horrible about herself. He always tried his best to cheer her up, tell her she was beautiful whatever he could. He was never sure if it worked but she always smiled at him tried to be in a better mood. She had died three years ago to the day.

Shizuka looked up at Kankyo with a questioning look. He had just dragged her out of her internal debate with his tone of voice. It sounded like he was on the edge of breaking himself. What was today's date? She thought hard well the party for the school was tonight on the anniversary of it being founded on April 1st. The date rang her head the same day Kankyo mother died. She was kicking herself for not remembering the date. She had been for wrapped up in what was going on around her that it had slipped her mind. She was a horrible partner. She reached forward and yanked Kankyo into a tight hug.

"We don't have to go to the party you know, we could just stay home and watch a movie or just talk" She offered not letting go.

"No, she would not want me or us for that matter staying in because if her." He said as he pulled out of Shizuka's hug with a sad smile. Shizuka knew that smile, he put it on when he was trying to be strong for whatever reason.

"Fine, but we are not going shopping. Instead we are going to visit your mom before the party." Shizuka jumped out of Kankyo's bed, grabbed a towel and some dry clothes from her bedroom.

"Give me 30 minutes tops!"

Shizuka stood next to Kankyo in a quiet graveyard. Kankyo was talking to the stone before them telling it about how they had joined the school, how they were ok and a few other things. Shizuka was never much for graveyards or visiting graves of loved ones but she always did it for Kankyo. Even before his mother and father died He would drag her to visit her own parents. Some might consider it heartless to not want to visit the graves of your parents at least once after the funeral but she would have been fine not to. She always thought they were with her somehow if not in spirit then in her memories but Kankyo thought differently. Shizuka kept quiet while he talked, listening to the sound of the wind as it rushed by her ears. She was beginning to feel cold she decided not to wear long sleeves because Kankyo's mother always told her not to cover her scars that they were a beuatiful part of her.

"Hey, Shizuka, got anything to say before we go." Asked Kankyo

"I'll take care of him, I promise" She Said the same thing every time. Kankyo Asked her why she said that his mother always asked her to take care of him when they left the house and that was she always replied with that.

"Let's Go." Said Kankyo "We need to get back in time for the party."

Shizuka nodded and turned to follow. "You raised a good man." She added in a whisper before going to catch up with Kankyo.

Kankyo knocked on Shiuka's door "You ready?"

"Just a second!" Shizuka looked in the mirror one more time fighting the urge to cover her scars. As she looked at herself the dress she was wearing was Black with a gray bands around It that formed Xs. The top went over her right shoulder. The dress ended just below her knees. Her shoes were Sliver to match bands on her dress. Kankyo picked a decent dress and style it was simple but elegant all at the same time, but she still felt out of place in it. She took one last deep breath before opening her door.

"Ready?" Kankyo said with a smile. He wore a sliver suit with a black shirt. It looked nice but she never understood why he wanted to stand out or why he insisted on matching her to events like these. He smelled like he just stepped out of the shower. He must have taken another one. He smelled like a forest or at least what she remembered a forest smells like it was mixed with some kind of musk. She was not sure how they bottled that scent, but it smelled good.

"Yeah, let's go." She replied with a sigh. As Kankyo opened the door.

"By the way you look just like your mom. Everything but the eyes." Kankyo added as they stepped out the door.


End file.
